Council Meeting Prep
Monday I contacted council members to learn of any concerns or questions about the upcoming agenda. Since the agenda was light, there were no questions.
Town Manager One-On-One
Later in the day I met with Mayor Pro-Tem Bryson-Robinson, Management, and staff to go over the agenda items. It was a brief meeting, and we believed the council meeting would be brief as well.
Atlantic Tire Tennis Championships Board Meeting
Monday night I met with board members of the Atlantic Tire Tennis Championships. We spent time talking about marketing issues and sponsorships. Our next meeting will be on February 20th.
Winter Storm Finn
Because of Winter Storm Finn all town activities were canceled on Tuesday evening. The forecast had potential tornados, flash flooding, and power outages. Cary faired well. No major incidents were reported. There were approximately 20 calls for service for Public Works and 35 emergency responses including a couple of trees on houses. The Duke Energy outage map indicated approximately 7,000 residents in Cary were without power at one point during the storm.
Council Work Session
Thursday afternoon the council held a work session to review several items including historic properties, council seating, technical changes from the legislature, and actions taken by the council.
The historic Ivey-Ellington house was moved from Chatham Street to the old library site on Academy Street early last year. The initial use will be for staff offices. The staff plans to bring a $2.67 million proposal forward that will rework the land and refurbish the house. There will be 50 new trees planted using silva cells. Silva Cells enhance the natural environment below while supporting the city hardscapes above. Funds will be used from the 2019 historic preservation allocation. The project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2025. Staff also reported that one of the oldest houses in Wake County, the Nancy Jones house, has been preserved and a consultant was hired to create construction documents. That effort will be completed this year.
At our last work session in December staff noted that town ordinance allows the mayor to determine the seating order of the council. At that time, I explained that I thought it was best for the newest council members to be seated closest to the town manager. A council member requested that the council review the seating order again at this work session. After their comments there seemed to be no interest in changing the seating order.
The town’s attorney explained new legislation that allows for abstentions by council members on zoning votes. This can be problematic on a controversial vote. That is, it is possible that most of the council could refuse to vote for political reasons. I hope this does not happen to Cary and council members vote on all matters since that’s what they were elected to do.
The last topic at the work session was an explanation on the difference between a statement made by the mayor, a proclamation, and a resolution. It has been our practice not to make resolutions on national and international matters if it does not directly impact our core services.
Council Meeting
The first council meeting of the year was held Thursday night after the work session. The agenda included one consent item (minutes for approval), one public hearing, and two discussion items.
Under Public Speaks Out there were written comments and an in-person speaker complaining about speeding on Walnut Street.
The Public Hearing item was a renewal of a 2003 agreement between Cary and Holly Springs to establish a mutually agreed upon annexation boundary between the municipalities. No one spoke and the agreement was passed unanimously.
The first discussion item was to award the bid for the Crabtree Creek Greenway project and the recognition of an additional $250,000 in Federal LAPP Grant funding. This construction project is a half mile extending from the existing greenway trail system within Bond Park, north to High House Road and located entirely on existing Cary-owned property. The project will use an existing grade-separated crossing of Cary Parkway and include a street-side trail along the frontage of the Preston soccer field site. The council approved the LAPP Grant in the FY 2020 budget to offset Cary’s design and construction cost. The council unanimously approved this item.
The last discussion item was for an interlocal agreement between the City of Raleigh and Town of Cary regarding procurement, funding, maintenance, and ownership of the Computer Aided Dispatch to Computer Aided Dispatch System. Basically, it moves the data to the cloud and makes it more secure. The council also approved this unanimously.
The meeting concluded after 31 minutes.
WPTF Interview
Friday morning, I did a live interview on WPTF talk radio. The questions included our growth, what is expected in 2024, sustainability initiatives, and Fenton. It lasted about 5 minutes. To listen to the interview, go to https://rss.com/podcasts/wptf-morning-show/1298866/. In the interview you will hear me say we will have the first electric Fire Truck in the Southeast. I meant to say Garbage Truck.
Town Manager’s Report
Sean’s Message
The staff and I are so appreciative of your support of and active participation in our work sessions. The two we’ve had so far have been incredibly helpful, and we believe they are a great lead up to next month’s retreat in terms of helping build our new dynamic and strengthening relationships.
I hope you agree and welcome your feedback
Enjoy the holiday weekend – our last for several months.
Sean
Council Meeting Follow-Up
Referendums:
Yes, we can have bond referendums during Cary municipal elections. Here are the details.
Mullingar Street:
Mullingar Street is 37-foot-wide, and, yes, we are exploring the potential to convert this to a public street. Here are the details.
2024 Wake Property Tax Reevaluation
Wake County is expected to mail notices of new property values to Cary citizens early next week. As is always the case during revaluation, many citizens may have questions as to why their tax value changed and/or want to challenge the new value. Please feel free to send citizen inquiries directly to Wake County. Citizens may also have questions about how the new value relates to Cary’s property tax rate which is explained here on our website.
Utility Relocations Starting on Carpenter Fire Station Road Widening
In preparation for the Carpenter Fire Station Road widening, on January 16, Duke Energy will begin the process of relocating their existing utilities. This work includes relocating utility poles to accommodate the widening and installing new underground facilities. Intermittent shoulder work, traffic shifts, lane closures, and flagging will occur throughout this phase. After the utility relocation phase, construction of the widening is anticipated to begin Winter 2025. Additional project details are available on the project webpage.
West Chatham Street Road Closure Planned
Beginning January 22, weather permitting, West Chatham Street will be closed between Harrison Avenue and Academy Street. The temporary road closure is expected to last one week.
As part of Cary’s Annual Water Main Replacement project, both water and sewer connections are being replaced. Due to the location of the utility mains, short-term road closure is required to safely complete this work. During the road closure, the sidewalk on the north side of Chatham Street will be closed to pedestrians, while the sidewalk on the south side will remain open. Construction in the driveway area adjacent to 122 W. Chatham St. and the alley to the rear of the building is expected to last one month.
Message boards will be placed on January 16 to alert citizens and motorists to the planned closure.
2024-2025 Cary Housing Funds Applications
Applications for 2024-2025 Cary Housing Funds open January12. Each year, Cary invites organizations working in the key areas of housing development and preservation, housing stability support services, community development, and critical need assistance to apply for grant funding. Cary supports these five key housing initiative areas to further the goals of the Imagine Cary Community Plan and Cary Housing Plan using a blend of local and federal funds. Under the Town’s 2024-2025 Cary Housing Program Grant application process, eligible entities are invited to submit applications for funding to carry out community development activities for the period July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025. Applications will be due March 1, 2024 with awards made by Council in May 2024.
Winter PRCR Registration – RecTrac
January 10 marked Cary Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources’ first program registration in the new registration system – RecTrac. On the first day, 3,120 program registrations occurred, with 93% completed online, an all-time high for online registrations. Registration continues throughout the week for residents, and non-resident registration will open on Wednesday, January 17. Anecdotal feedback from staff and citizens included gratitude for the transition to the new system, comments on the ease of online registration, and questions about when more programs/camps would be visible and available for registration. We’ll continue to work in the coming months to implement online reservations for rental and shelters, dog park access, and a return this spring to the printed program guide.
Yates Store Road Greenway Visibility Enhancements
New pavement markings and traffic signs were recently installed in western Cary, along Yates Store Road, to enhance the visibility of two greenway crossings. Designed and funded through Transportation’s Spot Traffic Safety Program and executed in partnership with Public Works, these improvements promote safety for users of the Morris Branch and Amberly Lake greenways by encouraging awareness of pedestrians.
Next up for the Spot Program are similar enhancements to the existing crosswalk on Ederlee Drive near Symphony Lake. Markings and signage were pre-marked and will be installed when weather conditions permit.
Long Range Water Resources Plan Kickoff
On January 8, Cary launched a Long Range Water Resource Plan (LRWRP) update in close coordination with a wide range of stakeholders and regional partners including RDU, RTP, Cary Chamber of Commerce, Morrisville, Apex, Chatham County, Wake County and of course an interdepartmental Cary team. The visioning process, which looks ahead several decades, laid the groundwork for how this LRWRP will be distinct from past planning efforts as Jordan Lake is nearing full allocation and the region continues to grow. Unique trends and adaptive strategies were brainstormed as well as sneak-peaks to the draft forecast based on the Triangle Regional Model and other regional planning efforts. We look forward to staying in close coordination with our partners as the plan is developed in 2024.
Upcoming Meetings
Accessory Dwelling Unit Virtual Community Meeting
Wednesday, Jan. 17
6:30 p.m.
Greenway Committee
Thursday, Jan. 18
6:00 p.m.
Mayor’s Mailbox
- A question on when the Carpenter Fire Station Road Park is opening.
- A request to give the State of Cary Address at Glenaire.
- Questions from a potential developer about developing land.
- Concern from a non-profit in South Hills to be able to relocate.
- A complaint that I cut-and-pasted responses to the hundreds of emails complaining about the Cary Jaycees parade.
- A question about how to get involved in the community.
Next Week
Next week’s activities include staff meetings, a meeting with the 4H Club, a meeting of the Wake County Mayors Association, a meeting of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Executive Board, a meeting with the retreat’s consultant, a meeting with NC Representative Cervania, a meeting about Affordable Housing, a review of State of Cary Slides, and an interview with the Triangle Business Journal.
Well, that is all for this week. My next post will be on Sunday, January 21st, 2024. Although I have Facebook and Twitter accounts those are not the best means of communication with me. Please send all Town of Cary questions or comments to Harold.Weinbrecht@townofcary.org and email personal comments to augustanat@mindspring.com.
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